Chicago Politics

Press Availability 7.8.25

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson hosts press availability.

Transcript

1:47 Good morning everyone. This reminds me when I was in the classroom how the students would just automatically just stop talking once I walked in. So I hope all your conversations were productive before we started. But I am appreciative of you all joining me this morning. Today I have our corporate counsel, Mary Richardson-Laurie. You all are familiar with her. You know our deputy mayor. Both our deputy mayors, one for community safety, Gary and Gatewood, and for education and young people, Kahari Humphreys.

2:17 We're going to talk a little bit about a couple of things today, but we're going to start with community safety and what we experienced over the weekend. And then we're going to talk about the potential impacts of Trump's OBBA bill that was signed into law over the weekend as well. This weekend, I had a chance to interact with some of our police officers who were on the ground working hard to keep Chicago and safe.

2:59 Much like what we've seen around the city, there's been a decline in homicides, decline in shooting victims as well, certainly compared to last year. Our officers are working hard to make our city safer, and I just want to take this opportunity to thank the 12th District officers and police officers really across our city, who are working hard to manage large-scale events while also keeping people safe. I also had the opportunity to So I want to thank again

3:57 All of our city workers But particularly the team at OEMC Who exemplify the professionalism and excellence Of city government I also had the opportunity To stop by and sit down And engage with the community violence Intervention workers Particularly at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago These are the Chicagoans On the front lines And they are de-escalating conflicts trying to interrupt cycles of escalating conflicts as well as working to interrupt the overall cycles of violence.

4:31 Particularly at a time in which we know that retaliation has been the normal form of response in preventing these retaliations from occurring and eliminating the tragedy that too many people experience in the city of Chicago. it was really good to hear again firsthand from the folks who are on the ground about the challenges that they are experiencing and how we as a city can come together to better support their work so I want to give a special thanks to the Institute for Nonviolence and all of the CBI groups, really, who were out in force this weekend with extended hours, putting their lives on the line to stop violence from erupting.

5:13 And then finally, I had the chance to stop by another late night ball session. We expanded late night ball to four locations, Truman College with Project Education Plus and One Northside. We were also at Malcolm X with Operation Basketball in Together Chicago. Lynn Bloom Park with Denaro Grose and also with Think Blue Foundation, where I happened to have the opportunity to stop by. And then, of course, Washington Park with Project Swish and Aclavis.

5:43 We brought together dozens of young people for safe, productive interactions. And I'm grateful for all the folks who have volunteered to help make these events productive. Thank you to all of our community partners and the support that we received from CVI and to all of our young people who came out. You may have read the Sun-Times reported yesterday that this was the least violent Fourth of July in at least six years. This is a quote from the article.

6:14 The weekend continues a recent trend after Chicago saw the least violent Memorial Day in at least 16 years. Last year, we also saw the first since 2019 with fewer than 600 homicides and nearly a three-year upswing in robberies that ended last summer. A double-digit reduction in homicides and shootings left the city with fewer than 200 deaths during the first six months of the year.

6:46 And so now, let me just be absolutely clear. Are we satisfied with what we saw this weekend? Absolutely not. The responsibility of keeping our city safe is a job that is never finished. We have a long way to go, and even with our officers working hard, our dispatchers and first responders digging in, our CVI groups working deep into the night, and our community partners who are showing up every single day, we still saw levels of violence that are completely unacceptable. And these visits and interactions throughout the weekend were more about listening and engaging than just simply talking.

7:24 There's always more that we can do. There are always new strategies that we can try. And there are always ways in which we can refine our tactics. It is the Chicagoans on the front lines who have the answers, so we will continue to meet with anyone from across the city who is willing to work with us to make our city safer. That should be the goal that we all share, quite frankly. regardless of which neighborhood you live in or even your political beliefs

7:55 or your orientation we all need to work together to make our city the safest big city in America and we will not stop working until we get there and so now I'll just shift briefly to talk about the OBBA bill I'm sure all of you are aware the President signed the OBPA over the weekend, and while we are still conducting a full analysis, we want to briefly just talk to you about some of the potential implications

8:28 of this piece of legislation. Economists and analysts all agree that this bill essentially represents the largest upward transfer of wealth in our nation's history. This bill literally takes from the poor to give to the rich. You often hear me quote Matthew 6, 21, where your heart is there, your treasure will be also, and that Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, follow the tenets that when you do for the least of these, you do unto me.

9:02 This is the opposite of what my faith requires and what my faith calls for. And the primary way in which, you know, this bill has found so-called savings, if you can even call them that, is through cutting health care for poor and working people. This bill is the deepest rollback of Medicaid in the history of our country. Our state could lose almost $50 billion over the next decade in Medicaid cuts alone.

9:37 Roughly a million Chicagoans rely on Medicaid, half of which are children. On top of these cuts to health care, we will see devastating cuts to food programs. At a time in which one in five households in Chicago are food insecure, these cuts will cause even more hardship for those most in need. We have roughly 600,000 Chicagoans who rely on SNAP. And this bill is a direct assault on their ability to survive.

10:11 I want to be clear. When we talk about community safety, it's no secret that poverty is a major driving factor in crime and violence. So these cuts not only continue to exacerbate neighborhoods that are riddled in poverty, This will put America at risk, particularly as we work to build public safety as a reality for people across this country. We are also seeing dramatic cuts to public education.

10:43 Changes to the student loan programs will make the dream of attending college unattainable for poor and working families and will drive up the cost for middle class students. They've also snuck in another scam voucher program, which subsidizes private education for wealthy parents. The so-called Qualified Elementary and Secondary Education Scholarship could cost up to $51 billion a year. That's more than the federal government invests in public education for students with disabilities and high-poverty schools combined.

11:20 This is on top of the Trump administration freezing nearly seven billion dollars of federal education funding that had been allocated by Congress primarily to support after school programs. So what do all these cuts pay for? There are two main things. First, it's the largest upward transfer of wealth in our nation's history. Cutting food, health care, and education for poor and working Americans is how they are paying for a one trillion dollar tax cut for the ultra rich. This is an abomination. This is sinful.

11:59 It's unholy. But it reminds me of a quote by the Supreme Court Justice Brandeis when he said we must make our choice. We may have a democracy or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both. This bill is a fundamental attack on our democracy and our way of life. The other things and all the other cuts pays for a massive increase

12:31 in the masked, secret police that are terrorizing our communities. ICE. ICE will not have a larger budget than all but 15 of the world's militaries. It's a four-year total. Its four-year total is more than every military except for the United States and China. This is a direct assault on the civil liberties of all Americans and will fundamentally undermine our rights. The finance

13:08 team continue to analyze the impact of this bill. We will provide you with more updates on the impacts on Chicagoans and how we are going to fight back to protect our people. So thank you for indulging and with that I'm happy to answer any of your questions. Okay we're going to start with that reporter just keep it short right? Mayor Johnson real Chicagoans tell me that they're disturbed that you

13:39 would spend multiple mass shootings over the 4th of July weekend as some kind of victory for your policies um river north uh brutal uh mass shooting made the st valentine's massacre look like child's world um obviously uh we people are asking how how could you after not one not two not three but four mass shootings go to nascar put on the nascar costume and grin

14:11 for the cameras we work hard every single day to ensure that people are safe in this city any shooting any homicide is one too many and as we continue to work collectively with our shared responsibility to ensure maximum safety for all the chicagoans our work is never finished if you truly believe that chicago is the safest city and uh unlike people around the country who You are saying that Chicago is the mass shooting capital of the country now.

14:43 Just a follow-up. Would you and your wife, Stacy, be willing to cut your security detail from 150 sworn police officers and put those police officers back on the street where they can protect real Chicagoans? So we're very proud of the work that we're doing collectively to ensure that that our police officers have the resources that they need. As I've said repeatedly, it's policing and affordable housing. It's policing and youth employment. It's policing and mental and behavioral health care services.

15:14 It's going to take all of us, the business community, the philanthropic community. We're working collectively with Cook County government, the state of Illinois, the state's attorney as well. The volume of cases that we are pushing towards the state's attorney so that we can continue to close out these cases as we really drill down with our detectives division as they solve crime, as they get the evidence over the state's attorney, gives her the ability to make the prosecution so that we can continue to deter crime in the city of Chicago.

15:44 That's the holistic approach that we're taking. Thank you. So you won't be cutting your security detail. Thank you. We're going to go to Michael now. Thanks. Good morning, Mayor. Good morning. You sort of hinted at this, but I wanted to just confirm. is it fair to say that your budget team does not know the full extent of anything that Chicago will lose? I think it's a good question. The bill just passed. So we're going to do a complete diagnostic full analysis. I gave you some of the preliminary numbers. The fact of the matter is this is the greatest transfer of wealth

16:14 into the hands of a concentrated few in the history of the world. This is a dangerous precedent that's being established. It's literally robbing poor people to make rich people richer. It's an abomination. It's abhorrent. It's wicked. But it's something that we will continue to analyze. And it's not just the city of Chicago talking to mayors around the country. General Assembly, state legislatures across the country will all have to go through a similar exercise. I've already reached out to the board president. We're going to do a collective analysis around the full impact of this bill.

16:46 And we're going to find, of course, collective ways in which we can fight back to ensure that working people are supported and that we're working to put people out of poverty. And I know that the city has held several budget roundtables in the last week or so, and I know there's another one coming up this week. Specifically for young people. Yes. What have you been aware of that's been discussed at those? What have people been talking about? And what other changes to this year's budget process are you excited about or are you making? Yeah, it's a great question.

17:16 Here's what we're hearing. I think the first part of your question, excuse me, it sounds much worse than it really is, by the way, you all. This is what you get when you sleep underneath a fan for consecutive nights. But what we're hearing is that the investments that we're making around mental health, behavioral health care services, youth employment, investing in our CVI to drive violence down in the city of Chicago, affordable housing, people still want that. The residents are incredibly active in their interactions around those particular demands

17:51 in terms of how we're approaching this, now my third time, if you will, around. We're engaging earlier. We have, as you know, a working group that will offer up some recommendations as well, and we're getting feedback from Alders already around ways in which we can find progressive means for revenue. The bottom line is this. The revenue streams that we control in the city of Chicago are doing well. Can they grow? Absolutely.

18:23 The revenue streams that we do not have control over, in other words, state oversight, if you will, or state regulated, those are not performing as well. And so there's going to be, I believe, a more enriched conversation around how local control over progressive revenue streams can meet the demands of this moment. People are hungry for righteousness, quite frankly, and righteousness is ensuring that people can live and thrive in their communities and feel safe doing it.

18:58 So building the safest, most affordable big city in America, to the last part of your question, is really what I'm most excited about. Thank you. Hi, Mayor. Hi, Ian. Given the bill's massive increase for ICE and the willingness of the Trump administration to change the way that it uses ICE agents, especially since what we saw in Los Angeles yesterday in MacArthur Park, does the city fundamentally need to rethink how it interacts with federal officials when it comes to not just immigration,

19:31 but every level considering that increase in the funding and the willingness to no longer operate as it had under previous administrations? Well, first of all, thank you for the question. And it's clear that the president of the United States of America is using ICE, this particular federal entity, as a militarized force. That is obvious. It's unprecedented. To your question, I appreciate the analysis that you've offered, is that the city of Chicago, like all cities across America,

20:07 will have to be far more thoughtful and even innovative in how we approach the federal government period. You know, look, I don't often quote, you know, historic leaders, but Brandeis is probably one of the more progressive voices of that time. And as I mentioned, you either want democracy or you want an oligarchy. Right. And I want democracy. I believe most Americans, if not all Americans, want that as well.

20:37 So this is unprecedented. And to the extent in which we're going to have to rely upon one another, other cities and states coming together to find the best way in which we can interact with a federal government that is quite hostile towards states and cities. That's going to be an ongoing effort. Excuse me. Please continue. I'm just coughing a little bit. I was going to ask about the proposal to legalize ADUs, auxiliary dwelling units.

21:08 Should each alder person have the authority to decide in his or her ward whether those units should be permitted or should there be citywide permission for those units to be built? We have a city-wide strategy to build more housing, more affordable housing, more market-rate housing. That's an expectation that is from one end of the city to the other. I don't believe there's a disagreement around the case for more units because I believe we're roughly 120,000 units short from, excuse me, you guys,

21:45 about 120,000 units short from having a sufficient amount of units to ensure real affordability. We put forth an amendment to see to it that the city as a whole is responding to the housing crisis. That's the expectation that I have. That's the desire that I have. And quite frankly, I believe it's the desire of most Chicagoans. Whether you're on the north side or southeast side, anywhere else in between,

22:15 We need more units. That's the way in which we're going to drive the pricing for housing down, and we have to be more intentional about building more affordable units, and this is an innovative, creative way in which we can do that. So my hope is that the city council recognizes the need that exists around the city and that they don't become, I don't know, narrow or sort of blinded by their own sort of specific space and time and being able to see the larger picture.

22:49 Just to follow up on that, would you compromise, though, on ADUs to allow certain residential districts to carve out, you know, require special use permits in, I think, R1, R2, those are the districts that are being discussed? That's a good question. You know, look, the normal legislative process in which, you know, we have conversations with city council members to come to a conclusion that can work for the majority, that's what democracy requires, and that's what democracy is. what I'm simply saying is I think the case is very clear. In order to build the safest,

23:21 most affordable big city in America, you have to have more housing. And this is a challenge, of course, that exists around the country. I just believe it's important that the city of Chicago lead the way in creating more units. That's what I want, more units, because the more units we build, it's going to drive down pricing across the city. And that's critical, right? Average price of a home, $1.1 million, $900,000 or so in New York and Los Angeles. And I know both of those cities are working hard to find better pathways to create more affordable spaces. We're in a

23:55 position where we can do that with some expediency. So we'll have those conversations, though. Just to follow up on the mass shootings, can you or Deputy Mayor Gay would talk specifically about the strategies city workers, police are taking to prevent any kind of retaliations or escalations of violence, whether it be from River North, Back of the Yards, Little Village, et cetera? Well, I'll pass it to our deputy mayor. You know, one of the things that I did do is I spent some more time with CVI this weekend, and there are many CVI groups across the city that do that work all day, every day.

24:29 Some of the specific strategies around how we provide services, particularly at hospitals and in those spaces to reduce the chances of that type of retaliation. I'll pass it over to our Deputy Mayor. What I want to start by just prefacing, you know, I'm not going to speak specifically about any case because obviously they're all under investigation, but the work that we do to stop retaliation is deep and is thoughtful, not only from the Chicago Police Department, as the mayor mentioned,

25:01 we work with our community violence interrupters as well. So when we know that there are conflicts in particular areas, we deploy resources in those areas, meaning the Chicago Police Department, our street outreach teams, our victim services teams as well. In response to those mass shootings throughout the weekend, we also launched multiple incident response protocols. Those incident response protocols map out the area in which the incident happened, what resources are needed there, being city resources, community-based organizations, victim services, you name it.

25:32 Each of those areas gets an assessment with those street outreach partners. Those folks deploy to the ground almost instantly. As the mayor mentioned, we also have teams at hospitals from our hospital-based violence prevention. along with victim services teams from the Chicago Police Department to talk to those families, to talk to those victims, sometimes victims are forthcoming, sometimes they're not. But having a better sense of what is happening there while having folks on the ground, both at the hospital and at the scene, helps, one, try to calm those neighborhoods down to make sure those resources are there, but also making sure it is not just that night that the incident happened.

26:08 So there's constant follow-up. You know, later on today, the Chicago Police Department and our teams will be hosting a press conference about the emergency assistance center. That will be a citywide emergency assistance center. But ultimately, we work with our partners on the ground to aim to stop retaliation. We work with our partners in government to try to, one, hold those folks accountable, which also helps lead to stopping the retaliation. Ultimately, that's our job, and that's what we aim to do. We often talk about how numbers are down in crime. This also gives us space to focus in more on those victims, the people who have been victims of the crime and survivors of those crimes,

26:44 to try to stop that retaliation. So specifically, that will be some of the items and the issues that we'll be tackling this week going forward. Hi, Mayor. On federal immigration enforcement, you know, one of the things L.A. has done, as it has continued to be a target specifically of military force in immigration enforcement, is set up local police perimeters around schools to shield students from federal agents without warrants. Have you considered or would you consider setting up CPD perimeters around public spaces in Chicago,

27:15 including schools, or does that not fall under the department's purview? Excuse me. You know, again, it's unconscionable at a time in which so many working people and poor people need government to show up for them, that this administration, the Trump administration, has caused so much consternation and division. Look, we are a welcoming city ordinance. Our local police department will not ever cooperate with ICE.

27:53 Whatever their constitutional authority is, that is obviously relegated to the Trump administration. All of our sister agencies, city departments, have been thoroughly briefed by a corporate council, and I'll pass it over to her in a second, about what they can and cannot do. Mary?

28:23 Good morning. I appreciate the question. The mayor referenced the guidelines that we issue to all city departments, as well as guidances to city agencies and AlderCore, so they would know the parameters on what acts they can take and not take. We are prohibited from viewed as, quote, interfering with a federal law enforcement action. The mayor also noted that CPD will not support ICE-related actions.

28:57 We do stay in contact with 12 other cities around the country, and we are constantly examining the steps they're taking and reevaluating what additional steps we might take in the city of Chicago. On NASCAR, what will your conversations with downtown aldermen look like as you consider to renew the contract? And do you think NASCAR should meet with them personally as they consider whether they want to support a two-year extension? Well, far more people are going to be involved in this process

29:28 than when it was initially birthed. That's my style of leadership. As far as the conversations, everything has to be on the table. We have to explore all aspects. One thing that I can say, that the city of Chicago, we're a gift to America. We're able to hold large-scale events, particularly in the United States. large sporting events, and really appreciative of how the city has come together over these three years to be able to put on a display that is unique to anywhere else in the world. But the conversations will be collaborative. Hi, Mayor. Just to kind of touch base on the

30:08 whole NASCAR thing, can you kind of go into depth about just the success of it, and if you plan on using any of that revenue to be able to use it in those outreach programs for these mass shootings that we have had over the last week. Well, let me just say again, you know, the tragedy that families have experienced as a result of the cowardly, hateful, violent attack against people, it's just unacceptable. And we're going to continue to put forth the full force of government to provide and bring justice to these families.

30:45 As far as revenue is concerned, it's not necessarily relegated to that particular event. We need revenue, period, to be able to continue to drive violence down in the city of Chicago. We are experiencing unprecedented numbers or numbers that we have not seen in decades. And that's a good thing, right? And one homicide, one shooting is still one too many. and the decline of violence is the result of the full force of government working with all entities of government at every single level of government

31:17 and making critical investments, particularly in communities that have been starved for decades. I think when it comes to the in-depth conversation around the economic impact of NASCAR, we'll see those numbers when they come out this year. There's been some recognition, particularly viewership is certainly up, And I want to just publicly thank Julie Giese for her work to drive activity to all of our respective neighborhoods. That's something that's important to me. I think it's important for all Chicagoans to know that we are addressing critical issues.

31:51 Even when we bring big attractions to Chicago, we're addressing critical issues in an equitable way. That is my commitment to Chicago. That is the only pathway, I believe, that will secure the safest, most affordable big city. and we're going to need partners to do that thank you so much hello mayor i'm just one question per call if all right no yes um so just bouncing off of nascar um what is your personal assessment of nascar and for you personally do you want to see nascar back next year well look i you know for

32:26 for me here's what my expectations has always been excuse me what's the public benefit right This is not about my own personal endeavor. The larger question is around how do neighborhoods across the city benefit from anything that we bring to the city of Chicago? There have been some good signs of how equitable distribution of dollars are being spent and invested in. And I will say just, I guess maybe on one personal note, I don't know how those guys and the women drive those cars in those kind of suits.

33:07 Like, if I had to wear that outfit every single day at work, that would be very difficult. So, you know, but I think overall the event certainly put Chicago on display. And any time we can promote the city of Chicago, that's a good thing. On NASCAR, you know, Jason Lee told the Sun-Times yesterday about potentially moving away from the July 4th weekend. Does that have to be done in order to welcome them back?

33:38 Is that a deal breaker or is that negotiable? I will say the 4th of July is already, quite frankly, it's a heavier burden for our law enforcement because of so much activity that happens in Chicago. And as tourism continues to increase and more and more people continue to visit our city, the expectation of law enforcement and our first responders continue to grow. It's something that I believe will be a part of the larger discussion.

34:13 If, in fact, NASCAR returns, what is the optimal time in which the two days or three days should occur? Those will all be part of the ongoing discussion. On the ADUs, for a long time it seemed like the city was going to include that policy in the VCA to settle the HUD lawsuit. I know that you guys are somewhat limited in what you can share there, but it seems to have fallen on the back burner.

34:44 Is that just because of the change in the federal amendment? Do we anticipate that the Trump HUD will continue to seek an agreement there, or is it just completely no longer a priority for them? Well, first of all, I'll pass it to our corporate council. Building more affordable units is still a priority of mine. It's still a top priority. Again, if we're going to be safe and affordable, we have to have more units. Because, you know, Alder Lawson has had his bill or ordinance, you know, kind of in the wings for a year.

35:23 There is an amendment that, you know, we're going to put forward. Because I do believe that a citywide strategy is critical in our work to create affordability across the city. You know, as far as the Trump administration is concerned, it's really very difficult to predict anything that they'll do. Barry? Good morning. I appreciate the question. The VCA is the subject of ongoing negotiations. It is unclear what posture the current administration will take federally.

35:58 We've kept the door open. We've certainly provided terms we think are suitable. and we await, continue to await their decision, but we have an open door in terms of ongoing communications on that legal matter. More broadly, even if that doesn't happen, would the city seek to overhaul zoning? Because the city did agree that automatic prerogative had led to a racially segregated city. I mean, again, the ultimate goal is to create as many affordable units across the city.

36:31 You know, I do appreciate just the perspective of the question, you know, and again, the federal government at this moment is so petulant and erratic, it's very difficult to be able to make any type of prognostication at this point. But just know that as a city that we're committed to building affordable units, increasing units across the city. Hi, Mayor. Hi. You mentioned with NASCAR wanting to have some sort of community benefit.

37:01 to that. I was just wondering if you could speak to any specifics that you want in a renewed contract. Yeah, I'm sorry. Let me clarify. I should have been a little bit clear around Julie Giese's work to bring equitable distribution of opportunities across the city. One of the things that I do know that NASCAR has been supportive of is the STEM program. This is critical for our young people in development, particularly with our economy shifting in a way that's going to require just a broader range of workforce,

37:38 particularly around engineering, life sciences. Those are ways in which not just NASCAR, but all of our corporate leaders can better support our efforts in the city of Chicago. And, you know, to NASCAR's credit, they've been not only amenable, but have been supportive of some of those efforts. But as you know, the issues within communities that have been marginalized for decades are quite severe. Poverty is something that I don't believe we spend enough time really talking about in this country.

38:10 When I was talking to some of the CVI workers and they come in contact with a person that has been justice involved or have been a part of criminal activity, and we're trying to desperately pull them out of that lifestyle, When these CBI workers show up to these homes, they run into other needs that go beyond the particular person that they interacted with in the first place. And, you know, when we talk about equitable distribution of resources and support for families,

38:42 you know, some neighborhoods in Chicago have been described as developing nations because of violence and poverty per capita mimics or mirrors developing nations. It's why our deputy mayor and I, we spend a lot of time looking at 35 of the most violent beats. These are places where unemployment is high, and there are very few resources within our schools. And so it's part of a larger political strategy of business and the philanthropic community coming together

39:15 to ensure that families can benefit from the wealth that clearly exists in this country. this major shift of wealth concentrating to the hands of just a few people that's the breaking news and I know it's not necessarily under my control to tell you all's outfits of what breaking news is but to have Justice Brandeis warn us and to see the manifestation of justice

39:47 of what was a concern for a century ago. It's quite disconcerting. So I know that's a longer-winded response to your overall question, but I just wanted you to understand that it's not hyper-concentrated with NASCAR. It's that corporate leaders have to decide if this democracy is worth it. And if it is, it requires us to spend more time in these communities and offer up as many opportunities as possible.

40:18 Are there any targets in that contract renewal that you would want NASCAR to do to, you know, further invest in the city? Any specifics? There will be a lot of things that we will discuss. But at this point, I just want to be very clear that we're asking all of our corporate leaders to take a deep look into what is happening in this country. We can't have both. you don't have a democracy if the control is in the hands of two or three or a handful of people. That's no longer

40:49 a democracy, you all, and I just hope that the people of America, certainly we will do our part in Chicago, but the people of America fight to defend this democracy. Good morning, Mayor. Good morning. Can you confirm that you're going to push for a vote on the ADU ordinance next week? And does that mean you're confident you have 26 votes? Well, we've put forth an amendment. The amendment is there to create more units and to create a pathway for more units across the city. We will have ongoing conversations with alders.

41:22 I always go into any battle with confidence that we will prevail. That's how I got here. And to clarify, when you said earlier that we need local control over progressive revenue streams, are you talking about giving the city the power to pass taxes that would normally go through the state legislator? Or what did you mean by local control? Yes. Yes. Yes. Hey, Mayor. Hey. There's been major pushback, of course, against the ADU ordinance, and one alderman called it an all-out attack on his southwest side ward.

41:52 Where do you think that resistance comes from? You have to ask that person. I don't know why anybody would be resistant or reticent to expanding more opportunities for affordable units across this city. Look, it's about creating safe, affordable communities. I'm going to have conversations with everyone, but building more affordable units is not an attack. It's actually a response to attack against working people in this city who have worked very hard to build family and build a community here.

42:27 And I want to make sure that those working people stay here. When I've talked to Alderman Quinn in the past, who is that alderman, one thing he said is people moved to his area for the single-family housing, the kind of loan plots. And he, I think, feels like his constituents would be worried about losing that. What do you say to people in his neighborhood about that? Look, I understand, you know, people having concerns about, you know, an approach towards innovation to build more units and how that could impact their living experience.

42:59 I think it's healthy to have those type of conversations. No one is in opposition to having those conversations. We do have to solve the fact that we have 120,000 less units that we need at this point to be able to maintain affordability. Here's what I don't want. I don't want families on the southwest, southeast, west, northwest to be forced out of their communities because they can no longer afford to live here. So people do move into communities because they feel comfortable, they feel safe, they appreciate the schools, and a host of other things that they like.

43:33 what I'm simply offering is an opportunity to expand and grow that and to also sustain and protect what we do have. Good morning. Good morning. To my memory, at least since the 90s, venues in New York City have checked or been able to check guests for weapons of all kinds. meanwhile these flash mobs or whatever

44:07 trends have gotten so that they're overwhelming not only Chicago police but suburban police forces so I'm wondering on the gun place stuff because there have been robberies of venues as well is it going to get to the point where we're going to have to emulate what New York is doing and on the flash mobbing or teen trend, teen and older trend stuff, is it going to get to the case that communities are going to have to do vigilance, community policing?

44:40 Because the Second Amendment does give you the right to defend yourself and your community when the powers that be can't cut the mustard. Well, I will say you raise an important point here. Guns in this city, in this country, it's out of control. Look, I believe in protecting all of the amendments in order to protect our democracy and for our democracy to continue to evolve. But our deputy mayor can certainly speak to this. When I talk to police officers, particularly those who've been on the job for a while,

45:12 they'll go to a shooting scene where once upon a time you might see essentially even going back to the 90s you might have 5, 7, 10 shell casings now you go to a shooting scene there's 60, 70, 80 shell casings and we're talking about getting off multiple shots in a matter of seconds and I'm going to pass it to Mary in a second because we do have a couple of lawsuits that we have put forth

45:42 in order to protect the people of this city. Right now, the city of Chicago, on average, our police officers remove about 35 guns all the streets of Chicago a day. Is that right? About 35 guns per day. And in many different points of the city, we constantly are working to remove guns and illegal guns off the streets of Chicago. But we've taken a couple of steps forward particularly around some lawsuits and I don't want to speak to

46:16 you know what our next steps you know could look like but I do know that we are working incredibly hard to remove guns off the street Mary I appreciate the question and it's certainly a timely one we you may be aware that we sued Westforth which is a gun distributor was a gun distributor on the border of Indiana and Illinois and And we help to facilitate their closure. That has assisted with cutting down the number of guns that move into the city of Chicago.

46:52 We still have a much larger problem and so we have an active suit with Glock, specifically also around switches. The use of switches allows individuals to do precisely what the mayor just articulated. One gun, lots of bullets, lots of bodies. So we are taking a very assertive litigative stance against Glock, the use of switches, and that will continue until we can bring it to final resolution and have them held

47:26 to account for the proliferation of those items in the city. Okay, and related follow-up. Mark, you asked such a great question. Gary wants to weigh in on it as well. So as both the mayor and corporation council have mentioned, we have a problem with access to guns in the city. Just the sheer volume. As the mayor mentioned, you were able to go on a crime scene years ago. I mean, I've been in places where now you see 80, 90 shell casings. And it is just the access to guns, basically weapons of mass destruction.

47:59 You have assault rifles. You have glocks that are on our streets. And we are recovering. I mean, since the mayor's been here, over 20,000 guns have been recovered from the streets of Chicago. But that doesn't account for just the levels and the sheer violence that we can see. You know, questions have been asked about River North. That was the worst mass shooting in the history of our city, and it could have been worse because of the access to guns. So it's important that when we are able to work together to hold folks accountable,

48:33 able to continue to do the work to get guns off our streets, I think people just need to understand just the sheer volume and access to guns in our city from surrounding areas that are brought into our city is one of the major problems. So we have to continue to do that work of creating opportunities for people, but also on the other side, holding people accountable for the harms that they cause in communities. You ask the question about checks. At 31st Street Beach, there are gun checks. At North Avenue Beach, there are gun checks.

49:04 There are a lot of times where people are arrested for having guns to make sure when people are going in that they are safe. So the Chicago Police Department does that work on a consistent basis. As the mayor mentioned, we want to opine on what's coming in the future. but just know that the access to guns and limiting access to illegal guns that are causing harm on our streets is our number one issue. And an unrelated follow-up question. Now that Walter Burnett throwing his hat in the ring for heading the CHA is no longer a rumor,

49:38 who would conceivably replace him or who conceivably is on the short list to conceivably replace him? As vice mayor, should he get that? I really appreciate you. I really do, Mark. Let me just say, you know, vice mayor. No, I got you. Let me just say, you know, vice mayor, Alderman Walter Burnett, has just been an incredible, you know, asset to the people of Chicago.

50:09 You know, his leadership, you know, spans 30 years. In fact, quick little story. When I used to work at the New City YMCA in Cabrini Green before I became a teacher, I interacted with the alderman on a regular basis, doing a lot of youth programming and support services for Cabrini Green residents. And when I met Alderman Burnett, he was the same man that he is today as who he was when I met him 25 years ago or so. And when I was just kind of a young man, young organizer coming up in the work, he put his arms around me like he did many folks.

50:41 Now, I did not join his political organization, but, you know, we were very strategic in our work to make sure that young people had access to resources and services. And I always remind him, this is why you've got to be careful how you treat people. And because he was nice to me is why, you know, he's vice mayor. I know I'm teasing, but I will say that his lived experience around public housing is just, it's the type of experience that is rare.

51:14 You very rarely find someone who has that type of compassion and understanding around the value of building more affordable housing, particularly public housing. So there's a process that is going forward, and he is someone that I am seriously considering, along with two other potential candidates. Now, as far as what happens afterwards, it's too early to speculate, because obviously if he does move forward for this particular role, there will be a process to fill his vacancy as alder.

51:49 that would be the first thing and then in terms of who would be the vice mayor it just really depends on you know whether or not we move forward with them first of all and having more conversations around you know who could fulfill that role because whoever the vice mayor is that's the person that I trust that in the event I'm not able to to serve that's the person who would fill in but thank you for that question and really shout out to Alderman Burnett for his 30 years of service we'll cross the bridge when we get there yeah thank you no i do have another idea

52:22 it's almost over it would have been over if paris wouldn't show up it's okay it's okay i'm actually it's all good um mayor the the city of detroit had a had a a violent fourth of july weekend and the mayor there is responding by um uh cracking down on curfew violations. So they have a 10 p.m. curfew for minors, and he's proposing a $500 fine for parents of children that violate the curfew. I know you've been pretty lukewarm on curfews, but fining parents, is that

52:56 a route that the city of Chicago might explore? Well, we're not lukewarm on curfews. We actually have one. It's 10 p.m., right? So we do have a curfew. Right. So there's no hotter. There's either either you are in violation or not. So it's not lukewarm there. You know, as far as, you know, parental involvement, you know, as you know, as a parent, you know, I work hard every single day to make sure that my children have the best of the best.

53:27 And I know there are parents around the city who want what's best for their children as well. As a former public school teacher, as a parent, I've spoken to them, and I'm only going to speak for the city of Chicago, that we have worked hard to bring the full force of government forward in order to create as many safe spaces for our young people and people in general, but also making those critical investments that have ultimately led to the decline of violence that we're seeing, you know, policing and policing and, right? And so I believe that there's a way in which places like Chicago, you know, you're seeing a decline in violence in Baltimore.

54:05 I just had a conversation with Brandon Scott there, Mayor Woodfin in Birmingham. I was doing some great work. Mayor Dickens in Atlanta talked to Mayor Cavalier-Johnson in Milwaukee the other day ago. And, you know, our thoughts and prayers are still with the Milwaukee Police Department who lost one of theirs in the line of duty. So what I'm getting at is that there's an approach that's happening all over the country where people are leading with a full-force holistic approach and we're seeing the positive results.

54:36 It certainly doesn't, you know, obfuscate our responsibility to continue to find ways in which we can reduce violence even more, you know, but, you know, ensuring that our parents have everything that they need. that they need so that they can show up better for their children. That's what the ultimate goal is. I mean, fining parents for their children violating curfew, is that an effective tool, you think, for a city to use? I can't speak for Detroit. If that's the direction in which they're proposing, I only can speak for Chicago.

55:06 What we believe is an effective tool is using multiple tools, if you will, to approach community safety, and that's what we're going to continue to do. did you just walk around when cough drops no but having had a cough before I love the value of carrying it with me just in case I was going to toss one up at you but I didn't want to get a rest anyways let me first of all just ask you get your reaction we're hearing that Ed Burke may be getting released from prison today

55:39 he was sentenced to two years typically in the federal system you do 85% he would have done far less than that Is that really justice for the people of Chicago to have a sentence lessened like this, and does it set a bad precedent? Well, there is a standard that we have to adhere to, particularly as public servants, and there is a greater standard for public servants, and I believe that's righteous. I just, you know, I don't know all the details and circumstances around, you know, the sentence, if you will.

56:15 And, you know, this is the first I'm hearing of it. You know, what I can say is that it is critical, though, that public servants adhere and maintain. I just got cough drops coming from everywhere now. I wonder if I talk about progressive revenue enough, if just progressive revenue would just kind of fall off the sky like these halls are. but the standard is righteous that every day that we have to work to earn the public trust

56:45 and I think to your question about the precedent there's no secret that the city of Chicago and county of Cook State of Illinois has had its share of public servants letting the residents down I'm just going to be hopeful that whatever the circumstances around, you know, how his sentence is being carried out, you know, that whomever is involved in that approach is that they understand that sending the message,

57:21 a strong message, that violating the public trust that you will be held accountable. But, you know, outside of that, Craig, you know, I'm going to do my very best to make sure that I'm living out the hopes and expectations of the people of Chicago and tries to be with when I was sworn in. On violence, kind of the headline this morning was about the impact. You talked a little about the, I guess, what I might call the ripple effects of, you know, cuts. Are there cuts that you're seeing potentially that could directly impact the efforts of law enforcement?

57:53 And I know you've got the whole city approach is not understanding all that. Are there direct cuts to law enforcement that perhaps you're seeing? And before you say a thank you at the end, my colleague Sarah Schulte didn't get let up by the police down there, so I've got a question for you for her. Okay, why didn't she get let up? Police wouldn't let her up. Oh, okay. Can we find out what's going on? Yeah, we tried to write a machine up there. Oh, okay. All right. Yeah, I mean, the first thing that I will say, the way CBI and CPD is working together,

58:28 it's it's it's well past due it's about time and i'm grateful for that partnership so the work that law enforcement does because there's been so much pressure pressure on police officers to do more than just policing and i'll get to the direct impact but there is an impact when And CVI is cut, right, because it then places more of a burden, if you will,

59:01 a responsibility on law enforcement to provide support and intel that CVI does an excellent job at doing. The cuts to our public health, that does impact policing because we do have this alternate response to mental health crisis. It's not perfect, but we're moving, working towards perfection. And so that does place the weight of it all on law enforcement. Now, as far as direct impact on our first responders,

59:36 any time there is a direct cut to any of our services, because law enforcement, if I have this right, and our general fund, or a corporate fund where I want to say, what's the percentage hearing of our, Annette talks about this all the time, but I believe it's at least 40% of our overall, and we'll get that number to you, of our overall fund balance. So it will have an impact on our ability to be able to continue to support our first responders.

1:00:12 And this is something that we're dealing with already within our city budget. the cuts that people are calling for, you're not able to make the type of sizable cuts without it impacting our police and fire. And so that's why, you know, I raised this earlier, it's going to be important that we find progressive revenue to ensure that we don't feel that full impact that's coming from the federal government. What my colleague was wondering is, with the CPS budget being in the shape that it's at,

1:00:43 teachers may have to wait longer to get retro pay with a huge deficit because of your stand on not making any cuts to school would you consider more TIF funding to help CPS out in this crisis well what I'll say is we worked hard to secure a contract that the people of Chicago could get behind and the people of Chicago are supportive of a contract that ensures that we're protecting our immigrant students, we're protecting students with disabilities

1:01:15 and IEPs, that we're protecting black history, that we're protecting the LGBTQ plus student population, veteran teachers, growing our footprint in our buildings to lower class sizes and building more sustainable community schools. So there's a lot of support around that. The budget challenges that we are experiencing are really the direct result of what we've said before of what we've inherited. We have a tremendous this liability or debt obligation around pensions, and we're going to continue to work towards rectifying that.

1:01:46 But as far as, again, my commitment to ensure that we're not cutting to the classroom, I still firmly believe there. Now, in terms of revenue, look, I mean, there's no secret across the state of Illinois that there is still yet to be a fully funded school district. It just doesn't exist in Illinois right now, and we have more work to do. everything is on the table I've released TIP dollars in the past more than any other administration so that's not something that we're obviously, that's not something that we're resistant to

1:02:18 but the approach has to be holistic and so I know there are ongoing conversations with the General Assembly around how we can better support our school districts across the state of Illinois, especially at a time in which the federal government has clearly attacked our public education system. Oh, here we go If both of us start coughing, it's going to be a problem. We'll never get to this press conference. But I will say this, though. The fact that this privatization scheme of what could cost $51 billion over the course of the life of this tool,

1:02:51 where they're spending more money to subsidize rich people in private education than they are investing in special education and schools where there's extreme poverty. It's real lopsided right now, and I appreciate the question from your colleague. It's real lopsided right now in a country where you literally see the concentration of wealth going into the hands of the ultra-rich. And then here we are looking at bite-sized operations to fund schools for working and poor people.

1:03:26 So this is not the dreams of our ancestors, you all. And I just hope and pray that the people of Chicago stand firm alongside of me as we fight to ensure that public education becomes fully funded for working people. And just to follow up to that, given the fact that CPS could not pay the $175 million that you were expecting from them, it looks even less likely that they'll be able to pay that now or whatever the amount is supposed to be this year. I mean, have you given up the hope of getting that money from CPS given their current budget crisis?

1:04:00 Well, you know, I am committed to making sure that the Board of Education and the Chicago Public Schools moves towards a sustainable government entity that works in full independence of the city of Chicago. And so at some point, the entanglements that have existed in the city of Chicago for a very long time, that CPS is going to have to stand on its own.

1:04:30 Now, am I committed to making sure that that transition is not abrupt and it's more smooth? Of course I am. The city of Chicago right now, we subsidize our public education system a billion dollars. And that's a conservative estimate from a host of things that we do on behalf of the people. I think what we're going to have to continue to do is to work together to find a pathway where CPS can begin to operate as an independent body,

1:05:03 and that is going to be inevitably them securing the retirement of their workers, because that's essentially what we're talking about, who's responsible for the workforce of Chicago public schools, and it's very clear it's CPS. I appreciate you all. Thank you. And thank you for all of these gifts that I now have to go report.

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